-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Record prize money and an extra rest day for finalists -- U.S. Open tennis chiefs have taken note of player complaints and made significant changes for 2013 .

The tournament 's women 's final will now be held on a Sunday and the men 's title match on a Monday , while the total prize purse will increase by $ 4 million .

`` I 'm pleased that the USTA has modified the U.S. Open schedule to include a day of rest between the semifinals and final , '' defending men 's champion Andy Murray said on the New York grand slam 's website .

`` Together with the prize money increase , it 's good that they 've taken on board the players ' concerns . ''

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Women 's champion Serena Williams was also happy with the changes , which mean the female players will play their last-four matches in Friday 's afternoon session .

`` Both the prize money increase and the addition of a day of rest are great for the players , '' the American said . `` These moves make the tournament stronger than it 's ever been for all players . ''

Previously the finals had been held the day after the semis , prompting criticism that the schedule favored players seeded in one half of the draw who get an extra 24 hours ' recovery time .

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The men 's final has actually been played on a Monday for the past four years due to weather disruptions earlier in the tournament , which has affected players who have been involved in the Davis Cup teams final the following weekend .

The new schedule means that there will be no evening session on the second Saturday of the two-week tournament .

`` We recognize the increased physicality required to compete at the highest level of the sport , and we have responded to the players ' request for a scheduled day of rest between the singles semifinals and finals , '' said USTA president Jon Vegosen .

`` The record increase in U.S. Open prize money and the changes in the next year 's schedule are aimed at rewarding the players ' talents and accommodating the rigors of the modern professional game . ''

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The USTA increased the base prize money by $ 2 million this year , and the 2013 doubling of that figure will mean a 34 % increase since 2011 .

There will be a total $ 29.5 million on offer , plus a bonus pool of $ 2.6 million based on results in the seven-week North American swing of men 's and women 's hard-court tournaments leading up to the season 's closing grand slam at Flushing Meadows .

Players have been pressing for a better distribution of prize money among the players knocked out in the early rounds of the four grand slams , and the USTA said it is in talks with them about how best to do this .

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An extra $ 4 million will be on offer for the 2013 U.S. Open tennis tournament

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Organizers have also agreed to schedule a day of rest between finals and semis

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Defending champions Andy Murray and Serena Williams welcome the changes

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There will be a record $ 29.5 million in prize money -- a 34 % increase since 2011